A world leader in recycling electronics

Rönnskär in Skelleftehamn is one of the world's most efficient copper smelters. The plant receives deliveries of copper and lead concentrates from our own mines and from external suppliers. Today the smelter is a world leader in electronics recycling thanks to investments and developments in Kaldo technology. We extract primarily copper, gold and silver from these materials. Rönnskär is our biggest production unit and the biggest private employer in the region.

Rönnskär in figures

Established: 1930

Operating profit : 900 MSEK (2017)

Average number of employees: 860

Did you know that....

65 per cent of all copper produced is used to generate and conduct electricity. The supply of copper is therefore crucial for the transition to alternative energy sources like wind, solar and hydro power, where the copper is needed in the first stage to generate electricity and in the second stage to carry the energy over long distances with low losses.

Studies show that when copper is used for the purposes of energy efficiency improvements, it can deliver CO2 reductions that counteract the emissions involved in producing the copper by a factor of 250.

Boliden Rönnskär production, 2017

Copper: 219 ktonnes

Zinc clinker: 34 ktonnes

Lead: 28 ktonnes

Sulphuric acid: 505 ktonnes

Silver: 484 906 kg

Gold: 13 109 kg

Investment in leaching plant

Boliden has decided to invest SEK 750 m in a leaching plant at Rönnskär. The plant, expected to be operational at the end of 2020, aims to extract more metal from residual material. Simultaneously, the amount of waste for disposal in the deep repository at Rönnskär will be reduced.

"The investment is fully in line with our strategy to extract as much metal as technically possible from existing raw materials. This significant improvement in Rönnskär’s resource efficiency will both enhance the smelter’s competitiveness and reduce the volumes of materials for disposal, says Kerstin Konradsson, President Boliden Smelters.

The leaching plant comprises a new 45 x 135 meter building located next to the quay in the Rönnskär industrial area. The plant is scheduled to come on line at the end of 2020, provided that the environmental permit for the plant is granted as expected in September 2018. The annual production will total 25 ktonnes of lead sulphate and 25 ktonnes of copper/zinc sulphate.

The investment follows the ongoing investment of SEK 650 m in the deep repository at Rönnskär, expected to be completed by 2020.